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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/25318774">Welcome Home</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Adeadlymusician/pseuds/Adeadlymusician'>Adeadlymusician</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>New Game Plus [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Xenoblade Chronicles 2 (Video Game)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Fix-It of Sorts, Gen, New Game Plus, other characters are mentioned but don't actually show up</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-07-17</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-07-17</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-05 03:07:56</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,507</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/25318774</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Adeadlymusician/pseuds/Adeadlymusician</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>“Here you go,” Rex approached, handing it over to Malos. The Aegis stared at him, raw bewilderment in his eyes. “This should contain the data you need to repair your core.”</p><p>“And you’re just going to give this to me, no strings attached?” Malos said, gaze switching between his hand and his face. </p><p>“Why not? Pyra and Mythra are still alive so I don’t need it,” Rex said. He saw Jin’s eyes widen out of the corner of his eye. “Besides, I can’t imagine that running around with a cracked core crystal is particularly comfortable.”</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Metsu | Malos &amp; Rex, Metsu | Malos &amp; Shin | Jin, Rex &amp; Shin | Jin</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>New Game Plus [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1833886</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>13</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>73</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Welcome Home</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>I just couldn't stop thinking about how a New Game Plus AU would work in Xenoblade, given how complicated the lore is. </p><p>This is the first of many parts. I will be getting to the others when I get to them.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Rex sipped his tea quietly, watching the calm waves of the Cloud Sea. It was a nice, late afternoon in Fonsett; fall had just arrived in the small hamlet, bringing down the cooler air from the north. The leaves on the trees were just starting to turn, hinting at the symphony of color that was yet to come. He took a deep breath, the odd, ether-y smell of the sea filling his lungs. The scent was still calming to him even though he didn’t dive as much as he used to. Two distinct sets of footsteps approaching him from behind cut through the background noise of the children frolicking. They stopped a few paces behind him, their eyes burning on the back of his head. </p><p>“You’re... taller than I remember,” A voice stated softly, unobtrusively. Almost afraid to ruin the moment. Rex hummed deep in his throat.</p><p>“Between you and Morag, I really haven’t had to salvage much. Not for money, at least,” He replied, bringing the cup to his lap. A deep, amused chuckle resonated almost directly above his head. </p><p>“The last time I checked, money has nothing to do with how tall you grow, kid.” </p><p>“Well, the Cloud Sea exerts a lot of pressure on us salvagers. The deeper you dive, the more pressure you experience. Diving for prolonged periods of time, all the time will stunt your growth eventually,” Rex explained, patting the ground next to him. “What brings you out here all of a sudden? It’s still a year or so out before we can get to Pyra and Mythra.”</p><p>Malos plopped down on his left, Jin on his right. “We just wanted to see how you were doing. Mikhail won’t shut up about you.”</p><p>“Mikhail? Really now?” Rex questioned, narrowing his eyes, tone laced with amusement and suspicion. “Can’t see why he would particularly care about me. Nia, on the other hand…”</p><p>“They all do, in reality,” Jin replied, gazing out at the expanse of white. “You managed to make an impact on all of us. Are you really so surprised?”</p><p>Rex flushed slightly under the praise. “I really didn’t even do much of anything but I’ll take your word for it.”</p><p>“You’re sickeningly humble,” Malos bemoaned, shaking his head. “I have to wonder how my sisters put up with you.”</p><p>“I’m really not sure myself,” Rex admitted. “What has Torna been up to lately? I haven't gotten any letters from Nia recently.”</p><p>“Peace negotiations, amongst other things. Amalthus will be tried any day now,” Jin said, closing his eyes. “We needed… to get away from all the chatter.”</p><p>“I don’t blame you,” The trial had been the talk of Argentum for months now. The evidence was supposed to have been kept behind closed doors until the official court date. Someone, however, had leaked details to the public and it had spread like wildfire. Almost all of the important details had been divulged; the human and blade trafficking, the blade eater experiments, the flesh eater experiments, the assassinations, the corruption, the mismanagement of refugees, the embezzlement, <em> the lies</em>. Even the truth behind Old Torna’s fall and the razing of Spessia was made known. The outcry, to the surprise of no one, had been enormous. The majority of Indol and followers of the Praetor had refused to believe it until the big world governments had gotten publicly involved. Even then, there were still devout believers that believed it was all a ploy to take down their leader. Rex didn’t want to imagine the extent of the international backlash if Amalthus wasn’t tried and found guilty.</p><p>“We’ve given Mor Ardain and Uraya years worth of evidence against Indol in exchange for immunity,” Malos said. “Although I doubt I’ll be taking a casual stroll in Alba Canavich anytime soon.”</p><p>“Smart move,” Rex commented, well aware that there was much that wasn’t being said. “Glad to know I’m not going to have to go and strike him down again.”</p><p>“What, did you get tired of fighting?” Malos asked, somewhat mockingly. Rex knew he didn’t mean anything by it. The Aegis liked to act more prickly than he actually was. </p><p>“Well, I wasn’t really planning on going on a journey until a certain <em> someone </em> stabbed me through the heart,” Rex murmured, more to himself than anything. An awkward silence descended upon the trio. He risked a glance to his left, noticing the state of the Aegis’ core crystal. “Wait here. I have something for you.”</p><p>Rex stood up, brushed the dirt off his pants, and followed the path up to Auntie Corrine’s house. He gave a small greeting to some of the kids he passed on the way to his room. Opening the door, he made a beeline to the shelf with all the trinkets that he had collected on his journey. The photograph of his friends and him stood proudly like a beacon in the night. It had been taken in Indol before everything had gone to hell (and back). Averting his gaze, he reached for a small pouch tucked under a cloth near the back. </p><p>It held the core crystal Pnuema had made a copy of. When Pyra and Mythra had reached out to him from Dream Elysium a year ago, they explained that it contained a copy of their personality matrices and memories, which would allow them to live again once it was ready to resonate. The thing was useless, now, of course. They were still alive, just buried many kilos beneath the Cloud Sea with no way to retrieve them safely until the North Leftherian current shifted further south. Rex opened the pouch and let the crystal slip into his palm, walking back outside. The sun was starting to get lower in the sky as the day came to a close. </p><p>“Here you go,” Rex approached, handing it over to Malos. The Aegis stared at him, raw bewilderment in his eyes. “This should contain the data you need to repair your core.”</p><p>“And you’re just going to give this to me, no strings attached?” Malos said, gaze switching between his hand and his face. </p><p>“Why not? Pyra and Mythra are still alive so I don’t need it,” Rex said. He saw Jin’s eyes widen out of the corner of his eye. “Besides, I can’t imagine that running around with a cracked core crystal is particularly comfortable.”</p><p>“Why are you... being so nice to us?” Jin asked, blinking. Rex shrugged, scratching the back of his head. He opened his mouth to say something but shut it after a long pause. His feelings on Jin, Malos, and the rest of Torna… were complicated, to say the least. It wasn't something that he thought he could explain coherently in the present moment.</p><p>“...Because I want to,” He settled on eventually. Malos shook his head, snorting. He grasped the green core tightly, almost like a lifeline. It started to glow with energy before dissolving into a cloud of ether. Rex watched in awe as what remained of the crystal on Malos’ chest slowly repaired itself, purple light churning with energy that got brighter with every second. The Aegis threw his head back and erupted into a vivacious laughter, his hands rising instinctively to the repaired processor. Rex peered curiously at the Aegis; he couldn’t recall a time that he ever saw Malos carefree or, Architect forbid, <em>happy</em>. That laughter quickly turned into something that sounded like sobbing as he was suddenly surrounded by a solid wall of muscle.</p><p>“Oooof!” Rex wheezed, stumbling, caught off guard. He took a moment to catch his breath before doing his best to return the embrace. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Jin staring at them with an emotion he couldn't quite place. He pulled back slightly and offered his hand out. Malos did the same when he realized what Rex was trying to do. The blade stared blankly before eventually tucking himself under Malos’ arm, pulling Rex closer by his waist. Despite the still awkward height difference between them, Rex had to admit that it felt nice. As nice as it can be when you’re hugging the people you spent literal years tracking down and fighting against.</p><p>“You may have grown taller but you’re still pretty short, kid,” Malos commented, ruffling his hair. “Is there an inn somewhere around here? I’m not in the mood to travel back to the Marsanes.”</p><p>“You guys want to stay?” Rex asked, slightly floored. Although, he couldn’t find himself to be completely caught off guard. This entire year alone had been one surprise after another.</p><p>“Is that a problem?” Jin asked, brows furrowing almost comically. Rex couldn’t help himself. Laughter bubbled up from the depths of his stomach, spilling over like magma out of a crater.</p><p>“You don’t need to be so serious all the time!” Rex gasped out, unrestrained joy blooming on his face. “Of course you can stay! Welcome to Fonsett!” </p><p>Jin blinked at him before averting his gaze to Malos knowingly. They both nodded.  “We're glad to be here.”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Can we please talk about how Rex and co just seemingly have a Bag of Holding for all of their items, D&amp;D style???? Like there's no way you can fit an entire freaking portrait in a functional bag, let alone five (or more). Like, I know it's probably just Video Game LogicTM at work but... There's just no way. It has to be a bag of holding. </p><p>Also I wrote this in like an hour so don't hesitate to roast me in the comments (if you want. I can't force you to do anything).</p></blockquote></div></div>
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